Reuters People News Summary

Reuters

Following is a summary of current people news briefs.

Katie Holmes gets back to work on Broadway

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Katie Holmes is returning to star onBroadway for the first time in four years starring in a newplay, ''Dead Accounts,'' set to open this fall, Broadwayproducers said on Thursday. Holmes, who earlier this monthreached a high profile divorce settlement with actor TomCruise, will star in Theresa Rebeck's new comedy,representatives for the show said in a statement.

Victor Li takes control of Cheung Kong empire

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Asia's richest man, Li Ka-shing, haskicked off a succession plan to transfer control of his empireto his eldest son Victor Li, who has started to take control ofthe HK$850 billion ($110 billion) Cheung Kong group after anasset transfer. Victor Li now holds two-thirds of Li Ka-shingUnity Holdings Ltd after his younger brother Richard Litransferred his one-third holding in the family trust to him onJuly 16, according to a filing to the Hong Kong stock exchange.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Joseph Gordon-Levitt has come along way from his television days playing a disguisedextraterrestrial stranded on Earth, harnessing a chameleon-likeability to inhabit a variety of roles in independent films andbig-budget blockbusters. The actor, who gained fame on TV show''3rd Rock From the Sun,'' portrays Gotham police officer JohnBlake in Friday's ''The Dark Knight Rises,'' the eagerlyanticipated final installment of director Christopher Nolan's''Batman'' trilogy.

Comedian, Emmy-winning writer Tom Davis dies

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Tom Davis, who along with AlFranken formed the comedy duo ''Franken and Davis'' and went onto write for ''Saturday Night Live'' and win four Emmy Awards,died on Thursday at age 59. Davis died of throat and neckcancer, his wife Mimi Raleigh told the New York Times.

Megaupload founder to Hollywood: ''I'm not your enemy''

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - Kim Dotcom, the founder of theMegaupload online file-sharing site embroiled in U.S. piracyand fraud investigations, on Thursday accused Hollywood ofbeing frightened of the internet and lobbying the U.S.government to vilify him. In an open letter published in TheHollywood Reporter, Dotcom, a German national who wants toavoid extradition to the United States from New Zealand, arguedhe was looking for ways to improve online storage and privacy,while adding that he was not the enemy of the film industry.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - With 24 restaurants around the world,11 Michelin stars, numerous cookbooks, and TV shows, GordonRamsay is the top earning chef in the United States, with anestimated global income of $38 million, according to a new listby Forbes.com. Scottish-born Ramsey, known to U.S. televisionaudiences for his acerbic comments on ''Master Chef'' and ''Hell'sKitchen,'' surpassed Rachael Ray, who earned an estimated $25million for the year ending June 2012 from her TV show,magazine and cookbooks.

BEIJING (Reuters) - A Chinese court on Friday upheld a $2.4million fine for tax evasion against the country's most famousdissident, Ai Weiwei, after barring him from attending thehearing, in a case that critics accuse Beijing of using tomuzzle the outspoken artist. Ai had asked the Chaoyang Districtcourt to overturn the city tax office's rejection of his appealagainst the tax evasion penalty imposed on the company he worksfor, Beijing Fake Cultural Development Ltd, which produces hisart and designs.